Feeding mechanism.



W. R.l ALLN.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

@Ma/M, m4 m 73C/54m ffy h Il FBBDING MEGHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAR.so, 1911.

W. R. ALLEN, FEEDING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.30, 1911.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEFT 2.

W. R. ALLEN.

PEEDING MEGHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAB..30, 1911.

' A4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

` W. R. ALLEN. FEEDING MEGHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAR.so,'1'911.

1,086, 1 9 r Patented Feb. s, 1914.

4 SHEETS*SHEET 4,

m5575555 Zw/5722272'. `MMM www Y? Wd?. Ey @M m 7Gb/Jg, 4i/y narransrarae PATENT @FFCE.

WILLAM R. ALLEN, OF'CLEVELND, OHQ, SSGNOR. TO THE AMEBIQAN MULTI- GRAPHCGNIPANY, OF CLEVELAND, GHIO, A CORIPORATON OF GEIQ.

FEEBXNG MECHANISM.

Specilcaton of tetters Patent.

Patented Een. 3, 1914;

Application iled March 3G, 15.511. Serial No. 617,351.

T0 all whom, 'it may concern Be it known that l, WILLIAM R. ALLEN, a.citizen of the United States, residing` at Cleveland,` in the County ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a rcri ain new and usefulImprovement in Feeding' ll/,ieehanism, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference ,being had to the acCompanying`drawings.

This invention relates to a feeding device which is adapted for varioususes. y It may he well employed, for example, in feeding envelops.

In the\partieular embodiment shown, the invention is applied to envelopsealinr inachinos of the type disclosed in the patents to John 'larlqoe,No. 820,427, issued May 15. 1906, and No. S9127?, issued June 23, 1903.I I

'lhe principal objects of the present invention are to malte the feedmore certain and e'liieient, insuring an effective feeding' of envelopsor other articles of various sizes, weights and conditions, and reducingto a minimum an v liability of the feed roller to miss an article or tofeed it improperl7 or aty the wrong time.

ln carrvineout the invention I employ1 a feed deck and a feed rollerhaving a base portion and a portion equipped with elastic filamentousfingers, the fingers being' adapt- Ved to engage and feedl an envelopand the base portion allowing` the sealing flap to' pass freclif'. Suchfeature is claimed herein. lt should be. noted, however, that a feedroller havingT elasti(` filamentous fingers, but without reference tothe grouping of the fingers on the roller, is Claimed broadl7 in nl vapplication No. 628,883, filed May QQ, 1911.

As illustrated herein, and as hereinafter more fullyv deserihed, mycomplete envelop sealer. in addition to the special feed roller andcooperating,Y parts of this invention, includes means for retarding thefed cnvelops to prevent the fccdingr of more than one en. volop at atime. The retarder or separator, however, is not claimed herein but inmyV application #(354.708, filethOotober 14, 1911. Reference should,aceordingly, lie-made to the patent, issued on that application forelaimson such feature. It is convenient, however, to show herein theComplete Inachine embodying the retarder, sealer and stacker, as well asthe features claimed herein.

@ne embodiment of my invention is illustrated in thedrawing'accompanying and forming a part of this description, in which:

Figure. 1 is a vertical' Central eross sectional view of the completemachine; Fig. 2 a side elevation of the saine; Fig. 3 a plan of 'thesame; Fig. 4l a detail side view of the feed roller; Fig. 5 an end viewof such roller; Fig. t3, an inside view of the fingerearrying' segmentalplate. forming a part of such roller; Fig. T a transverse Crosssectional view .of this plate.; Fig. 8 a detail view of the retardi-ngroller; and Fig. 9 a view of a modified form of retardi'ng de vicesadapted to be used instead of a retarding' roller.

Describing the parts by reference Characters, l indicates the sideplates of the machine, these side plates being' Connected by transversebraces 2, 21, 2b, and 2c, and having snpporting feet 3. The side piecesare also connected by the plates 4 and 5,'the latport afplate 6 uponwhich a. motor 7 is earried. The plate l is formed with a substantiallyhorizontal portion 8 and upwardly extending portion E), which latterportion is siown as grooved to receive the forward ends of inclined bars10 forming a feeding deck, the rear ends of these bars beingsecured tothe braeel.

Slidably mounted upon the bars 10 is a weighted. follower 11 havingr aninclined forward surface 12. and also having a knob or handle 13. Asuitable distance above the feeding,r deck is a moistening roller 23,here* inafter more fulljy7 described; The envelops to be sealed arearranged with fiaps overlapping, as illustrated aty 15, and stacked nponthe bars 10 infront of the follower 11 with the under-most ap resting onthe iroisteninn roller 23, a suitably pivoted rod teningliquid, andcommunicating with this trough is a reservoir 21 forming a Huid sup-'ply, this reservoir being illustrated as an inverted bottle supported ina seat 2la and adapt-ed to maintain a constant level of liquid withinthe trough. Dipping into this trough is a transverse roller 22 andengaging with this roller is the parallel transfer' or moistening rollerl23 above mentioned. These rollers are carried upon shafts 22a and 23,the latter of which is journaled in a definite position in the plates l,and the formerof which is journaled in an elongated slot, as shown inFig. 2, and yieldingly held in Contact with the companion roller bymeans of springs 24. The shafts 22n and ,23?L are provlded at one endwith intermeshing gears 23b (Fig. 3). Below and slightly forward of the.trough 20 is supported a revoluble shaft 25 which carries one or morefeed rollers 26, the construction of which will. now be described, Theserollers 26 are illustrated particularly in Figs. 4J?. Each consists of agenerally cylindrical body 27 having a segmental eX- terior portionthereof cut away, as shown at 28. A segmental shell 29 (shown assemicylindrical) is provided of the shape and thickness to complete thecylindrical form of the body 27, and is attached thereto by `radialscrews 30. Arcuate grooves 3l are formed in the interior of this shell,and radial perforations 32 are formed through the shell intersectingthese grooves. Elastic frictional strips are laid in the grooves 3i withtheir ends projecting through the per forations 32, as shown in Fig. 7,to produce projecting resilient lingers 33. The depth of the grooves 3lis such that when the shell 29 is secured to the body 27: the bodies ofthe strips will be firmly compressed and securely held in place.

A very effective method of construction, and at the same time, a cheapone, is to use small ordinary rubber bands for the elastic strips,drawing their looped ends through the two related holes and then cuttingthe loops oit squarely, as illustrated in Fig. 7. Vvlhile thisconstruction provides a very etlicient roller, I do not desire to belimited thereto, as these projections might be made of various othermaterials and in different ways. I have found, however, that eX- tremelysatisfactory results are obtained with lingers of this nature, becauseof the great softness and iiexibility obtained by the use of theseparate soft rubber strands.

Upon one end of the shaft 25 is mounted a sprocket wheel 35 (Fig. 3)which engages a chain 2G passing over a companion sprocket 37, carriedby the shaft 23 for the purpose of driving the roller 223. rlhe otherend of the shaft 25 is provided with a sprocket wheel 38, by means ofwhich the sanne driven, in a manner to be later described,

In fnv-nt of the plate 4 carries one of the sealing rollers 42. Be-

tween the shaft 40 and the edge of the plate 4 1s a parallel shaft 43Ahaving thereon a companion sealing roller 44 contacting with the roller42. The shaft 43 is journaled in an elongated slot 45 so as to bemovable toward and from the shaft 40, to permit the passage between thesealing rollers of envelops of varying thickness, and is yieldinglypressed toward the shaft 40 by means of a spring 46. Above the shaft 43and slightly nearer the plate 4 is a third shaft 47 having thereon aplurality of spaced feeding wheels 48, shown in Fig. 3 as suitablyroughened upon their peripheries, either by knurling or by theapplication of a band of suitable material thereto. This shaft 47 isjournaled in an elongated slot 49 so as to be free to move toward andfrom the shaft 43, and is impelled toward that shaft by means of aspring 50.

Mounted above the sealing rollers, on the brace rods 2a and 2b, is thereversely bent stationary plate 51 forming an elongated inclined recessadapted to receive the envelops in advance of their passage through thesealing rollers. Registering elongated slots 52 are formed through thesides of the plate for the passage of the bent arm 54, which is suitablypivoted, as at 55, to .an ear on the brace 2. This arm is provided withan adjustable weight 56 for a purpose to' be hereinafter described, inconnection with the description of the operation. may he said that theenvelops fed forwardly by the roller between the rollers 47 and 44 andinto the pocket provided by the member 52 and then pass downwardly (topedge foremost) between the rollers 44 and'42 and are sealed by thepressure thereof.

In the bottom of the machine the stacking mechanism is carried, thisstacking mechanism including two or more parallel adjustable bars GO onwhich rests a slidable plate Gl. In the embodimentillustrated, the rodsIn passmg 1tl 26 pass bottom vedge foremost G0 may be .describedasforming the sides of a letter U, the base of which is indicated at (32.The free ends of these rods are supported in hooks or perforations 63 atthe rear of the machine, and the cross portion 62 is embraced, by aclamp 64 rotatably mounted upon the brace 2c and adapted to be securedthereto by the set screw 65. The free endsof these rods will besupported in the upper or the lower perforations or hooks 63, dependingupon the size of the envelope being handled and the inclination of theserods will be reoulated by the angular adjustand spaced at a ment of theclamp Leserin .lournaled transversely of the machine, beneath the sealinrollers is a shaft having thereon a plura ity of star wheels 71. Theadvancin `faces of the teeth of those wheels are roun ed, as shown at72, to malte wipers, and their rearward faces are preferably abrult orradial, as shown at 73. Between th1s shaft and the sealing rollers are apair of parallel shafts 7 5 and 76, the former or 4these being journaledin an elongated slot 77 so as to be shiltable toward and from the latterand being yieldingly pressed toward the latter by means of springs 7S.This shaft is provided with rollers 7 9, and the shaft 76 is providedwith two or more star Wheels 80, relerably having` abrupt or rn- Pliallyface teeth.

Each of the'shats d0, 47, 25, 7 6, and 70 has on its end adjacent to theinner side of the plate l a sprocket, and a single chain 81 is shown inFig@ as looped around them all. Between the shafts 40 and 47 Ipreferably journal an idler sprocket 82, mounting the same upon aneccentric, so that the tension of the chain can be adjusted. Theopposite end of the shaft 76 is also provided with a sprocket carrying achain 83 `(lig. 1) b means owhich the shaft 43 is driven.

'-1 1e operation ofthe parts so far described is as follows: Theenvelope being stacked together with their lflaps overlapping andinsorted in the machine, as already described,V

the weight of the follower 11 forces them forward y into proximity tothe feed roller 26 with the flap of the foremost envelop engaging thetransfer roller Q3. The rotation of the drive wheel 4l drives thevarious roll` ers in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1,throu h the agency of the chains and sprockets`a o ve described. Therotation of the rollers 22 and 23 meistens the linps ofthe envelops andthe 'rotation of the' roller 26 causes the fingers 33 to engage thenearest envelop and draw it forwardly over the apron 8 and deliver it tothe rollers @A and 4S. These, rollers pass the envelop up- .sidedowninto the recess dencd by the plate 52 against the Weight of the arm 5luntil the envelop has entirely cleared the roller- 48. The continuationofthe rolling motion of the roller 44 advances the top of the envolop totho space between it and the roller 4:2, whereupon the weight or theenvelop aid ed by the arm 5l and weight. 56 causes it to be seized bythe sealing rollers 49 and 4l,

vwhich nov: press the ilap securely against the backof th`e envelop. Asthe envelop emerges from between the sealing rollers it passes betweenthe rollers 79 and star wheels 86 and drops between two adjacent teethof the star wheel 7l. s the latter wheel ro' totes thc forward face ofone of its teeth presses back the envelops already delivered, making aspace for the incoming envelop and the forward face of the followingtooth resses the newl -arrived envelo i into lace.

Y l P As the bottom edge of the envelop clears the rollers 79 itisengaged by one (if the teeth of the star wheel 8O and shoved to one sidelo malte room for the following envelop. lt

will he seen that the roller 26 has lingers on only. one side and'niakesone complete revolution for each envelop sealed. This causes one envelopto be so far advanced through the machine before the starting of thenext envelop that there is no interference between them. Moreover, therubber fingers are out of theway when the exposed moistened flap of theenvelop passes the roller Q6.

A disadvantage found in previous machines of this type has been theliability of the feed roller to advance more than one envelop at a timebecause oit the friction of the envelope upon cach other'. Thisobjection is overcome in my machine by provid-y ing; a suitableretarding device operating to hold back the cnvelops behind the foremostone. One forni of this retarder is shown in Figs. 1 and 8. ln such formI journal on the underside of the apron S a transverse shaft 85 carryinga plurality of rounded retarding rollers S6, which lie in slots 87formed in the plate and project a short distance above the top thereof.ln Fig. 3 lA have showirtwo transfer rollers 48 spaced upon oppositesides of the center of the 1nachine,"and l prefer to employ the same'nu'ifiber of rctarding rollers. The end of the shaft 85 is providedwith a sprocket 8S which meshes with the chain 817 and is driven therebyinthe saine direction as the feed roller 26. of the roller 86) isopposite to the direction of the movement of the envelops, so that theirpassage over the plaie is materially impeded. This hindrance is notsulliciently great to overcome the grip oi the lingers 33 upon the firstenvelop, but is suiiicicntly greater than 1the friction betweensuccessive envelops to prevent the second envelop from passing thereoveruntil positively grasped by the feed roller 26.

l iind that a rougheningr of the roller 86 by narrow and shallowlongitudinal depressions 89 iii'its surface retardation. l find elsothat. it is preferable to make the roller longitudinally convex, or or'the barrel-shape shown, with the highest point of its ends adjacent tothe top of the plate 8. rlhis prevents mnrring the envelops or givingthem ytoo strong a push backwardly.

l have discovered that in many instances the beneit of the rctardingroller can be obtained by less complicated means, such as is shown inFig. 9. In this ligure l have illustrated a clip 90 of-thin metal formedto clingclosely to the surface of the plate l and having resilientadapted to spring overthe edge-s of the This direction (at the top`properly aids the inturned lips 91 at its ends limited to such detailsexcept as the sameplate. a point .substantially the same as .theposition of the retarding 'roller 86 I provide an upwardly bent roundedprojection, or boss 92 which the lower edges of the envelops are forcedto ride over. This boss is similar in shape to the projecting part ofthe roller 86 and is found to possess many of the advantages of theroller. Either Athe boss or the roller constitutes a doubly convex humpin the path of the bottom edge of the envelop,"A This hump, so located,I find much more efficient than an elastic retarder engaging the envelpsback of the foremost one, which has heretofore been proposed.

.I preferably form the follower 17 with a bifurcated depending ear 97(Fig. l) and within this ear I pivot a hook 98. If it be desired towithdraw the follower entirely from the feed deck, it is merelynecessary to grasp the knob 13 and draw it rearwardly, whereupon thehook 98 will engage the brace 2 and the follower will swing over thebrace and remain suspended therefrom.'

.Vhile I have necessarily described my invention in detail, I do notpropose to be may be positively included in the claims hereto annexed ormay be rendered necessary by the state of the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. The combinationof a feed roller having 'a plurality of elastic fingers each composed'of soft strands located on one side of the roller, means for supportingarticles to be fed so that the ngers may engage them. and means forretarding the advance edge of the articles as they are fed.

A feed roller having a plurality of projecting fingers, said fingersbeing confined to a portion'of said roller, and each ofsaid fingersconsisting of a plurality of strands of soft rubber. i

43. A feed ioller having a body and a removable, segmental cap withholes through it,and softv strands clamped between the outer face of thebody and the inner face of the cap and projecting through said holes tomake external fingers.

4. A feed roller having a recessed body portion and a removablesegmental. shell seating in the recess and held to the body, said shellhaving perforations, pieces of rubber having their ends projectingoutwardly through said perfor-ations and forining flexible lingers, thebodies of said pieces being gripped between said body portion of Siitheir ends projecting through said perforations and forming fiexiblefingers, the bodies of said strips being gripped "between said body andthe bottom of said grooves.

(i. In a feeding machine, the combination, with a feed deck adapted toreceive the articles to be fed and means for advancing the articlestherealong, of a feed roller adjacent to said deckand having a pluralityof projecting friction fingers composed of' Asoft strands adapted tograsp and advance the nearest article, lsaid friction fingers beingrestrictedto one-half of said roller and said roller being arranged tomake one complete revolution for each article advanced thereby,

and means for retarding the passage of said articles from said feedroller so as to prevent the delivery of more than one envelop at a time.

` 7. The combination of av feed deck adapted to support the lower edgeof articles to ce ftd` and a feed roller adapted to engage the bodyportion of snclrartieles above the deck,

said feed roller having elastic fingers on one t side and being bare onthe other side, each. flngrr consisting of a groupbf soft strands.

S. The combination, with a feed deck, of a feed roller adapted to act onarticles standing on the deck, said feed roller havinga group of elasticfingers, each finger consisting of a plurality of soft strandsprojecting from the periphery of the roller.

9. The combination of a feed deck, a roller adapted to act onenvelopsstacked on the 'feed deck, said feed roller having elastic filamentousfingers grouped onto one portion of the surface and omitted Ontheopposite portion, whereby the fingers may engage the envelopsufficiently t0 feed the same and will be out of contact with theenvelop when the tla p passes the feed roller.

t ln testimony whereof, I hereunto alii); my signature in the presenceof two witnesses.

WILLIAM R. ALLEN.

lVit-nesses iV. DUNLAP, Annitn'r H. BATES.

.tibi

